Vinylidene-based polymers by Rh(i)-NHC catalyzed thiol-yne click polymerization: Synthesis, characterization and post-polymerization modification

Complex RhCl(IPr)(pyridine)(η2-coe) (IPr = 1,3-bis-(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)imidazol-2-ylidene) efficiently catalyzes the polyhydrothiolation of aromatic diynes with aliphatic dithiols to give vinylidene-based polymers (vinylidene content of 80%) with high molecular weights (Mw up to 199 000). These polymers have been shown to be chemically modifiable through hydrogenation and chemical oxidation processes.
This research was supported by the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO/FEDER) under the Project CTQ2016-75884-P and the Diputación General de Aragón (DGA/FSE-E07). A. D. G. also thanks MINECO for the postdoctoral grant Juan de la Cierva-Incorporación 2015 (IJCI-2015-27029).